Restaurant owner John Basso tells the newspaper that Alleman, who was known as "Patient John," would stand in front of the restaurant, trying to attract customers. Basso says Alleman was never on his payroll, although his likeness appears on restaurant merchandise.

The Heart Attack Grill is an unabashedly unhealthy restaurant; the menu
consists of huge burgers, milkshakes and fries cooked in lard. A meal can easily exceed eight-thousand calories.

Then in February of 2012, a customer trying to chow down on a 6,000-calorie "Triple Bypass Burger" went into cardiac arrest.

Basso has previously admitted his restaurant promotes obesity, but that it shouldn't be viewed as dangerous.

"We're not promoting obesity for obesity's sake," Basso said in May of 2011. "We're
promoting obesity for fun's sake. I'm simply saying, don't grab
something through a drive-thru window that you're going to forget five
minutes later."